The holiday season may be over, but if you’re looking for a reason to enjoy a holiday favorite such as… Pecan Pie… we’ve found one! This past weekend we celebrated the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr. and as many historians have noted, one of his favorite foods was…you guessed it…Pecan Pie. So why don’t you honor the great man and indulge in a slice of pie today! Now let’s get started with this weeks’ Food News Today!

COCA COLA JOINS THE OBESITY DEBATE

If you can't beat them, join them! At least, that seems to be the approach Coca Cola is taking with its latest ad campaign. The link between sugary drinks and child and adult obesity rates has been a growing and ever apparent red flag for one of the world’s most well-known soda brands. So now, for the first time, instead of avoiding the topic, they're addressing it. The Atlanta based company has just begun airing commercials during some of the highest-rated shows on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC outlining the companies record of providing low cal options and pointing out that obesity is a result of consuming too many calories from any source...not just soda. A second commercial shows a montage of activities that add up to burning off the "140 happy calories" in a can of Coke: walking a dog, dancing, sharing a laugh with friends and doing a victory dance after bowling a strike. But don't confuse this latest marketing decision as a defensive reaction to negative publicity. As Diana Garza Ciarlante, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Co says, they just felt it was time to become a part of the obesity discussion and also clarify confusion about the number of calories in soda. She said the company's consumer research showed people thought there were as many as 900 calories in a can of soda. According to industry tracker Beverage Digest, overall soda consumption in the U.S. has declined steadily since 1998 and with moves such as New York's cap on the size of soft drinks sold, Coca-Cola, as with any soda company, certainly has their work cut out for them. So, watch out for the ads on TV and let us know what you think!

AFTERNOON PICK ME UPS

Speaking of sodas…. Do you ever fall back on a sugary drink to get you through an afternoon slump? Or do you prefer coffee? What’s your go-to pick me up?

A new survey from the NPD group find that 18 – 24 yr olds are turning to coffee, rather than caffeinated sodas, as their energy booster.

So, we checked in with our FaceBook friends to see what they thought…

Noah Fleischman: Green tea…with plenty of EGCG…!! But never after 11pm est

Maria Maggio: …Sometimes coffee, sometimes a trip to the gym helps and sometimes a 15 minute power nap does it! Never candy…

Gergory Miller: Coffee – tastes good

Denny Belcastro: Chocolate or coffee (good coffee)

Danielle Tropea: Coffee. No sugar and warms me up

Stephanie Bowen Winthrop Coffee

Don’t forget to check out our Facebook page and let us know your thoughts. We love hearing from you!

EXTREME BREWING

Relaxing with a beer after a long day at work might lose its appeal if THIS is how you're drinking it… That's right, your eyes are not deceiving you, this is a blond Belgium ale called 'The End of History,', in a case made from a squirrel. A real squirrel. Beer and taxidermy equals art. Well at least it did for Scottish firm BrewDog, who made the beer. Which surprisingly seems to be all sold out. And in case you were wondering, according to James Watt, co-founder of BrewDog all the animals were road kill and from a taxidermist. Sounds a little extreme? Well, it is, and it all fits into a craze of...extreme beer brewing. Craft beer makers have been pushing the boundaries of this popular beverage by amping up the alcohol-by-volume (ABV) percentages and changing the culture around drinking a beer, developing it into a drink that can be sipped slowly like a glass of scotch. 'The End of History,' is one of BrewDogs highest ABV beers at 55% and they aptly called it, the "strongest, most expensive and most shocking beer in the world." Just to compare, a simple Bud has 5% ABV! And if you’re wondering what kind of Extreme Brewing BrewDogs is up to now…go ahead and check out their website - BrewDog dot com

That’s all for this weeks edition of Food News Today, don’t forget to check out our new website design, and send us a message on facebook or twitter, we’d love to hear from you. Food News Today is sponsored by Con Agra Foods, who shares with me the desire to provide the most current, interesting and unbiased food news. Thanks for tuning in, see you next week!